A Road Warrior Returns..."Blood Father"

Blood Father (2016)  

Rated R

Starring Mel Gibson, Erin Moriarty, William H. Macy, Diego Luna,

Directed by Jean-Francois Richet

The Story:

Lydia (Moriarty) is in some serious trouble. She's in the wrong place at the wrong time, and some drug dealers want her dead. With nowhere else to turn, she calls her dad (Gibson) that she hasn't seen in years and asks for his help. Lucky for her, her dad is an ex-con, and it may be just the edge she needs to stay alive.

Call it a comeback vehicle if you will, but it's time for that nonsense to stop.

Gibson is still a great actor and a talented director, and if the public is going to continue to crucify him for things he said in a drunken stupor...

A DECADE AGO!

Americans seem more forgiving of politicians and world leaders who actually kill people and lie for a living than an actor. (see the recent outpouring of love for Fidel Castro for just the latest example)

He's back in fine form, imagine a burned out Riggs with nothing left to care for in the world but his little girl, and you'll have an idea of the intensity he'll bring to the role.

Moriarty holds her own as the troubled teen who is trying to stay alive all the while trying to re-establish a relationship with her dad while they are on the run.

It's an interesting dynamic that the movie pulls off mostly well.

Sometimes it's torn between being a thriller/drama/action flick, and is never quite sure what genre it wants to embrace fully.

But it tries hard enough, and has a competent cast that keeps you interested till the end.

So if you haven't given up on Mel, or are curious if the guy's still got it, give it a whirl, you might be surprised.

Final Grade: C+

In The Navy..."Down Periscope"

Down Periscope (1996)

Rated PG-13 for language

Starring Kelsey Grammar, Lauren Holly, Rob Schneider, Harry Dean Stanton, Bruce Dern, William H. Macy, Rip Torn

Directed by David S. Ward

The Story:

Lieutenant Commander Dodge (Grammar) has rubbed some of his superiors the wrong way.  Finally given his chance to Captain a submarine, he is given a relic of a diesel class submarine that is so old, they have to bring on a civilian veteran (Stanton) just to help them know how to work the thing.  Dodge is given a test to elude and defeat a nuclear sub piloted by Commander Knox (Macy) but Rear Admiral Graham (Dern) wants to ensure Dodge fails, and he is saddled with a misfit crew of sailors nobody else wanted, including Executive Officer Pascal (Schneider) and the Diving Officer (Holly), the first female submarine candidate for the Navy.  If Dodge fails... he's out.  Heaven help him.

I don't think I've seen this one since it was released.

Caught it again recently, and it's not bad.

A really good cast with an adequate script, there's nothing ground breaking to be had, but it's an acceptable diversion of 90 minutes.


Grammar flexes his muscle as a leading man on the silver screen, and his comedic instincts are as sound as the years he honed his timing on Cheers and Frasier.

Plus, while it is a comedy, they at least treat most of the war games between the submarines straight- humourous, but not slapstick.  Dodge and his crew actually use strategy and cunning to outmaneuver superior technology.

It's a classic underdog story, and those are almost always entertaining.

Not a bad one to revisit if you see it on cable as you flip channels.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I haven't bought it by now, so I probably won't rush out now, but I have no problem if I were to see it on again in the future

Someone End The Pain... "A Single Shot"

A Single Shot (2013)

Rated R for violence and language

Starring Sam Rockwell, William H. Macy, Jason Isaacs

Directed by David M. Rosenthal

The Story:

John (Rockwell) is out hunting for an elusive deer, takes a shot and a girl lies dead.  He drags the body to hide it, and runs across some cash from backwoods criminals (Isaacs).  Naturally, John takes the money, and so begins a game of high stakes tension building as the bad guys come to get their money back.

A single shot... if I drank, I would have used several of those to try and get through this movie.

Slow.
Quiet.
Rambling.

None of those words are meant in a good way.

I love Rockwell.
I love Macy.
I love Isaacs.

I put the movie on fast forward eventually to see if I would ever get anything out of it... but no.

A dreadful waste of talent.  The sound on the movie was so low, half of the conversations are muted or unintelligible.

Plus, the movie stretches out to nearly 2 hours... 

of boredom!

Save yourself.


Final Grade: D-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Only as a cure for insomnia.